Marvin Zonis is a leading expert on the global economy and on political risk. Professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Zonis’ insights into the intersection of politics, economics and emerging technologies make him a valuable and always timely keynote speaker for a vast range of businesses and organizations. His sharpest skill is presenting, in vivid detail illustrated by real world examples, the developments and trends impacting the contemporary social, political and economic landscape. The former director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, he is an authority on Middle Eastern politics, and has spent the last 50 years studying the volatile mix of Islam, terrorism, and the Middle East. At the University of Chicago, he continues to teach courses on International Political Economy, Leadership, and Business Strategy in the Era of E-Commerce, and consults with corporations and professional asset management firms throughout the world, helping them to identify, assess, and manage their political risks in the changing global environment. Zonis is a member of the Board of Directors of CNA Financial, serves on the Board of the Institute for Psychoanalysis and is a Fellow of Diamond Management and Technology Consultants, a global consulting firm. He is also a member of the U.S. Comptroller General’s Board of Advisers at the GAO. Zonis has written extensively on the intersection of digital technologies and globalization, emerging markets, Middle Eastern politics, the oil industry, Russia, and U.S. foreign policy. His writing has been featured in The Financial Times, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Chief Executive Magazine, La Vanguardia, The Boston Globe, and the Japanese journal Nikkei Weekly. His books include The Kimchi Matters: Global Business and Local Politics in a Crisis Driven World; The Eastern European Opportunity; Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah; Khomeini and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and his latest, Risk Rules: How Local Politics Threaten The Global Economy, which shows that globalization (and events like the recent overthrow of the long-time leaders in Egypt and Tunis; the global recession triggered by the U.S. credit crisis in 2008; and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan) makes understanding the political economies of different countries more important than ever. He is a commentator for a range of media outlets, including NPR, the BBC, and ABC News, where he served as a special consultant for the Middle East. Read more…
